Post and Beam TimberFrame Green House

All reclaimed wood and windows for this Hot House.  Ok.  I didn't make this.
my brother made it out of barns that he tore down.  This will be one of my next project
Though not with so much grandeur

This is a shot from the inside.  This thing is Amazing.  He is going to sell this
to a lucky plant lover.  I wish it were me.

This was taken in December before he finished the structure.

My Brothers name is Ian and this structure is for sale and for delivery.  He can be reached at
     flyinamish@yahoo.com      and he is not Amish. 

A Sewers Dream

Enter to win daily.  Every person who sews will be watering at the mouth to win this beau.  I would love to win this.   Good luck to who ever does.   Me!


http://www.apqs.com/longarm-giveaway/

This

Shiney saddle pad Baroque style from today. Bitwing Swallow Tail.

I am sewing like crazy with the rain that is falling in the inner states.  I really don't have alot to say about this one for it speaks for itself.  This was really fun to design.  Satin binding and cotton batting.  Gold in the material and a fleece underside. 

http://www.bonanza.com/listings/English-Batwing-Butterfly-Saddle-Pad-Handmade-All-Cotton-up-and-Fleece-under/111178017#/?s=15

Swallow Tail English Saddle Pad #2

Well I did it again.  I made yet another sadde pad and I love this one even more than the first one.  It is the same cut at the first but I really like the way the colors turned out on this one.  I used a cotton top or facing with a black satin binding and the batting or soft middle is a medium loft all cotton batting as well.
The underside which is not pictured is a pink fleece to grip the horse and it gives a little extra padding.  I trace stitched the design in white quilt so the flower will pop a little and then used nylon webbing for the keepers.

Here is how it turned out.
The blanket is sitting on my Friesian / Percheron mix and she is so big that it makes the saddle pad look small but it is cut to standard size.

 

 

 

 

 



Western Saddle Blanket with removable Fly guard in midievil shape.

The sheet on the back detatches with Velcro or is easily added while out on the trail and the fly sproy wears off.
All cotton with two layers of batting in the middle for extra thickness for a western saddle.  All cotton for easy summer breathing and coolness on the trail.

I wieghted it in the back with nylon webbing so it doesn't blow up and into your seat.

I can't believe that the picture houses an upside down stirrup.  What a goof.

Here it is without the fly guard on the back of the blanket.

I designed a Batwing Saddle Pad and Sewed it together

For the life of me, I could not find a saddle pad that was unique and different so I sat down with a close contact and an all purpose saddle pad and I got to work tracing what I thought might look cool.

I ended up with this Batwing pad.  Don't get me wrong, I did find a few like it in Europe and in Canada but they were so sew expensive that I thought better to do it myself.

I basted the three layers together with basting spray, "Cheater spray" and began to sew down  the middle under the seat together.  When I had my middle line sewn together with the fleece bottom and the batting middle.  It looked like this.  I was excited and well on my way.

My first ever Baroque Batwing Saddle  Pad.  Designed and completed.  On to the next!

The top with the batting middle hanging out.



The underside with two of the swoops sewn in to hold it togeher.
That is a heavy maroon fleece.  I free handed the lines with a marker to follow the shape of the pillow.



I began working on finishing the mid swoop like or wing lines and set to work for create a binding that would wrap
all the way around the blanket in order to finish it off.  Once I had the binding on the wrap I used nylon webbing for the holders and also for the saddle placement holders on the front.  I just sewed velcro to the front ones and I was finished.
Here is my end result.

The right side and I forgot that I also added nylon webbing to the

center line for sturdiness.

The left side with the holders in black and in place.

 The batwing view. Top

 The underside...that goes to towards the horse.  You can really see the wing lines on
the underside.

\The right side of the underside of the blanket.  Just finished it this morning.

I am off to make another.  What's it worth?

 

Easy Homemade Bread and Buns...Recipe

Home made bread is so easy to make and better for you and your health and cost a fraction of that of a store bought loaf of bread.  It isn't as nifty for a lunch meat sandwich but for everything else, homemade bread is easy, simple and smells like you are a true mother earth goddess. 
Once you get used to getting your bread up and on the rise and know what you are looking for, which really boils down to taste....then you are on your way to some serious artisan breads such as french breads and bagettes and sun dried tomato and even a cinnimon roll bread as well as pizza dough. 

I use the basic recipe for all of my bread with variations depending on what is in the house and what I am setting out to make.
Basic Recipe
Three cups of water and three TBSP butter or oil or bacon greace or whatever oil you have, heated on stove or grill top until it is hot to touch.  They say not over 120 degrees but I have found if you can hold your finger in it without getting burnt but slightly hot to notice then it is perfect.
At this point you add three TBSP of sugar though I usually put the sugar in the water that I am heating so it desolves quicker and helps the yeast activate when added.
3 TBSP of yeast into a bowl.
So you dump your butter sugar water in the bowl, add the yeast if  the h2o is not to hot to touch and your sugar if you have not let it desolve in your heating water.  Some people have their water heater turned up high enough that the straight tap water comes out at the right temp, but we don't so I heat it up to touch.
Let this combo sit for a while.  Your yeast should foam up.  Don't forget about it too long or it will retreat or whatever they call yeast that got over excited..
So once you have a good foamy top it is time to add your flour and salt. Should be about 15 minutes or so but it really depends on the house temp.
You are going to need around 13 cups of flour but don't put it all in at once.  You are going to add it in stages so that you don't dry our your bread too much.  It should be a little sticky but not to you if you have flour on your hands to knead the bread.  Once the bread starts feeling like a soft warm ball then you are ready to let it rise.  Oh I forgot the salt.  Add that while you are adding the flour.
You add 3 TBSP of salt at this time also while mixing in your flour.  If you add it to desolve in your yeast water mix then it kind of kills the yeast early so I wait until I am adding the flour.
Mix it all together and cover with a bread back or wrap or whatever you have.  A towel will work too, and let it rise.  It can take only thirty minute or an hour or two depending on the room and humidity. 

Once it doubles plus in size it is time to put it in the pans OR punch it down and let it rise again for more airy bread.  Don't over proof and let it grow over three times its size or you will overproof kill the bread. Once you have it in your bread pan then let it rise again to the desired highth but not to high as to over proof.  You also cover it in the pan but if it sticks to your proof cover you will ruin it so I spray plastic wrap with spray oil and then cover so it does not stick while raising.  When you pull off your cover to put in the oven, be careful not to pull the top.   Bake at 350 (what else) for 25 or until golden brown.... (you can add an egg wash just before baking for a shiney top)  Egg wash is one egg and twice that much water mixed together really well...WISK even.  Brush or spoon on just beforfe baking.

This will yield three loaves of bread or one big pizza dough and one big loaf and some bread sticks.  It can also be kept in an air tight container in the fridge to make tomorrow or the next day.  Watch it when you first put it in the fridge because it CAN keep rising and blow the top off the container in the fridge.  It will quit rising when it cools.  I sometimes put is straight into the freezer.
That it is in a nutshell.  To branch out, I use evaporated milk instead of water (also warming) or potato water that I boiled potatos in (that makes the yeast go crazy and makes really big bread.  Add three eggs or parsly or garlic powder or butter. Different breads with different amounts of water to flower.  You have just have to play with the recipe to see what you like the best.  When making Rye bread take out two of the regular flour and only add two cups of Rye flour to the recipe if you want it fluffy.   Same goes for the wheat bread.  Straight wheat is hard to get airy bread.  It is more dense.
Also HONEY makes a great substitude for sugar, even better. Three eggs added when adding the flour gives it a little something different as well.....
HAVE FUN in your mother earth living.......  feel free to ask any questions...

 Hot dog buns.

 

potato water bread.......big rise

Bread Bowl and Wreath...